


it's our serenade (for two)

by 0000000 (iKain2)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Almost Everyone Is Younger Or DeAged, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Yuri!!! on Ice Fusion, Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Dad Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Domestic Fluff, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Pretty Much All Relationships Other Than Reaper76 Is Implied Or Just Referenced, Resolved Sexual Tension, So Many Child Prodigies Oh My GOD, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 16:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9393947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iKain2/pseuds/0000000
Summary: At the 2017 Marseille Grand Prix, 26-years-old Gabriel Reyes wins his fourth gold medal by a landslide with his beautiful solo rendition of "Death Blossom."25-years-old Jack Morrison places dead last in the entire competition after completely bombing his free skate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing of figure skating and other languages except from Yuri!!! on Ice and google. 
> 
> LOL guess how Bastion is going to appear in this. Because he will.

Jack's heart pounded impossibly fast underneath his skintight blue outfit as he ineffectively tried to control his nerves. Even Reinhardt's broad hand resting gently on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly as he chatted with a particularly talkative German reporter, did little to help him. He scrolled through the camera gallery in his smartphone, doing his best to take his mind off the crushing pressure caving into his chest.  
  
A picture of his three adopted kids all smiling brilliantly in their adorable trick-or-treat costumes from last Halloween popped up in his gallery. Jack couldn't help the slight smile that twitched at his lips.

The phone in his hand buzzed, Angela's angelic face showing up in a call. Jack's eyebrows raised as slipped away from Reinhardt and took the call in a somewhat quieter corner of the waiting room. Angela never called him during a competition unless it was an emergency...  
  
“Angela, hey—”

“Jack, I am so sorry to call you at a time like this, but Jamie's in the hospital. He fell down a ravine while exploring the woods behind your house with Mako. I need your consent to perform emergency amputations on his arm and leg. Please.”

Jack's mind blanked. “You… what?”

“I need you to give consent for me to perform two life-saving operations on Jamison right now. I cannot wait any longer, or he may bleed out. Please, Jack!” Angela's voice shook, and no doubt she was close to tears.

“I, y-yes! Whatever you can do, do it! Please don't let him—”

The call cut, the dial tone barely piercing through the fog of horror and shock.

“Jack? Vhat iz the matter?” Reinhardt's voice barely registered with him.

“Jamie's… Jamie's in the hospital, Angela's doing emergency surgery on him, oh my God—”

_Jack Morrison, U.S.A., please report to the skater entrance. Jack Morrison, U.S.A., please report to the skater entrance._

He was up next for the free skate, and his 11-year-old son was in the hospital about to _**lose his arm and a leg**!_

“Go, Jack. I vill call Ana and see vhat is going on.” With the help of Reinhardt's gentle push, Jack headed towards the skater entrance on autopilot.

* * *

Half an hour later, Jack pushed himself into an empty men's restroom by the locker rooms, found a stall, and then promptly dry heaved into the toilet.

He just wanted to go home, to Indiana.

Angela couldn't save Jamie's arm and leg. His kid lost his _**limbs**_.

“You're pathetic.”

Jack looked up from where he was hunched over the toilet, breathing harshly. A young girl with half her head shaved and wearing a purple hoodie sneered back at him.

“Run home and cry. This competition isn't for losers like you.”

With that, the girl turned on her heel with all of the grace of a brilliant ballerina and left the restroom as quietly as she had come.

Numb, Jack headed over to the sink and splashed some water over his face. An ashen face with red-rimmed blue eyes stared back at him. After a moment, he straightened his back.

He had to be strong, for his kids.

Minutes later, Jack was in the garage of the ice skating complex with his duffel bag thrown over his shoulder when he heard the first strains of Gabriel Reyes' famous “Death Blossom” filtering through the concrete ceiling. He closed his eyes and let the rising crescendo of the violins and piano seep through his bones, just for a moment, and then ran a hand over his face as the fantastical uproar of the audience shook the stadium from the ferocity.

Jack didn't, _couldn't_ bear staying any longer – from the moment Gabriel Reyes stepped on the ice with that song in his repertoire, he won the tournament. He didn't need to watch him to _know_ that.

With a new personal best free skate score and a standing ovation, Gabriel Reyes gave the judges and the audience a charismatic flourish as he skated over to the podium with the second and third place winners. With the gold medal around his neck and a bouquet of flowers in his hands matching the crown of white roses on top of his head, the man smiled as he scanned the room for a glimpse of golden hair atop a blue and white outfit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just FYI I actually looked in the AO3 tags to see if there already was a Yuri!!! on Ice AU. So sad when there wasn't :(

[ **ONE YEAR LATER** ]

 

“Hana, before you go, let me show you something.” Jack tied on the last of the laces on his skates.

“Dad, I… alright, I guess. My teammates aren't gonna be online at this time anyways.” Still wearing her pink ice skates, Hana leaned against the side wall of the rink and popped a bubble with her gum.

Jack ruffled her hair as he walked past her and into the rink. Only 8-years-old, and already she was a few good inches taller than the rink walls that used to tower over her…

Hana got her smartphone out and pressed record. Might as well save whatever funny fumble her dad might end up doing. After the competition last year, he didn't skate as often as he used to, preferring to spend time doing other family-type things like camping or mall trips that their grandparents usually did with them. It was… strange, but comforting, seeing their dad actually _trying_ to be a parent now.

“Dad, do you want any music?” Hana called over.

“No, it's fine. Just watch.” Jack closed his eyes, let out a slow breath, and then began the program.

Hana's eyes widened. That was _Death Blossom_ 's opening!

A smooth slide into a quad lutz! When did her dad manage to find the time to practice landing that?! Hana's mouth dropped when not a moment later he spun into a quad flip! And the spin, it was so natural, as if he'd done it a million times with his eyes closed!

Just watching her father slide around the ice, looking as if finally at peace with himself for the first time in ages… Hana wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. No, she _wasn't_ crying!

When Jack touched down with a perfect spinning end after a quadruple toe loop followed by a triple toe loop, Hana ended the recording and couldn't help the burst of excitement that came out of her as she skidded onto the ice with a fangirlish squeal.

“Did you like it?” Jack met her halfway, hauling her up for a quick spin, wheeze-laughing all the while.

“Oh my God, _oh my God_ , you did it _**perfectly!!!**_ ” When her skates touched the ice again, she wrapped her arms around her dad's middle in a tight hug.

* * *

Angela huffed as she set down the heavy potted plant in its proper spot by the door. “Lúcio, can put those paper stacks in the closet?”

“On it, Dr. Ziegler!” At the doctor's call, the 10-year-old carried the heavy box of printer paper over to the hallway closet. “'Scuse me, Mako.”

The 15-year-old boy grunted as he shuffled aside to let the boy pass, making sure that the precariously balanced boxes of patient folders and other miscellaneous paperwork didn't tip over.

Lúcio ran back into the hallway to get another box, but then the phone in his pocket buzzed. Looking around and seeing the Dr. Ziegler and Mako were busy sorting through other boxes, he pulled it out and checked his messages.

A text from his younger sister:

 

**[TopKEK]:**

Lu, dad did the impossible! \\(TT-TT)/

Download attached file: _dad.mp4_

 

With an eyebrow raised, he pressed play and watched the video.

A few seconds in, the boy's eyes widened in shock because _**holy moly, dad?!?!** _

 

**[LUCI-OHs]:**

\\(O-O)/ omG did u show this to jamie yet

 

**[TopKEK]:**

Yea :3

 

**[LUCI-OHs]:**

Hold up I got a remix of death blossom that would go perfect widdit

 

**[TopKEK]:**

:DDD

 

“Hey, Dr. Ziegler?”

“Yes?” The blonde Swiss woman looked up with a smile as she pushed a loose strand of her hair out of her face.

“It's almost two o'clock, so I'm gonna go home now for lunch.”

“Almost two already?” Angela checked her phone and then gasped. “I'm late for my date with Fareeha! Yes, you two can go!”

Quick as a flash, Lúcio slipped on his skates and helmet and then shouldered his backpack. “Seeya later Mako!”

A grunt was the older boy's response.

After a moment, Lúcio backpedaled and popped his head back by the doorway. “Oh yeah, Jamie wanted me to tell you that dad's making stir fry for lunch. Are ya gonna join later?”

Another grunt.

“Okay, I'll tell dad to make some without meat!”

* * *

"Dad, you have to see this!"  
  
"Not now, junebug. Gotta get this on a plate first." Jack didn't so much as dare to take his eyes off the Korean stir-fry he was cooking. From experience, looking away for barely a minute had a 90% chance of the food becoming charcoal, inedible, or _explosive_. Cooking never was his strong suit, it'd always been G—  
  
An impatient string of Korean flew out of the little girl's mouth as she hopped around in place, clearly way too excited about whatever video she had pulled up on her smartphone. The moment Jack set down the pan and spatula, she shoved the smartphone into his stomach. "Look!!!"  
  
" _Alright_ , hold your horses." Jack only needed a second of watching the video to know that it was him skating to _Death Blossom_. "Hana why did you put this online? And what's with the music?"  
  
"Lúcio made the remix and then put it on your video! Isn't it cool?! It's called _Heroes Never Die!_ "  
  
Jack couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "Yeah, it is."  
  
As if by a miracle, Lúcio skated in through the front door with a bright smile. In his hands was a new box of frog and bunny themed band-aids, no doubt a gift from Angela. "Hey, somebody call a doctor?"  
  
"Lúcio! Dad likes your remix!"  
  
"Aw, really?"  
  
"It's really good, kid." Jack handed the smartphone back to Hana and turned to start plating the food. "Well, one of you go call Jamie, since lunch's ready. Oh, and Mako too if he's there, I've got the meat-free stir fry done."  
  
"On it!" Lúcio zoomed past the kitchen, still in his skates, and out towards the door leading to the weird flowers-and-corn mixture that had taken over his expansive back yard (likely thanks to Ana's influence).  
  
"Are grandpa and grandma coming over for dinner tonight?" Hana slipped underneath Jack's elbow to grab a noodle, and then dived away just in time to avoid a swat to the head.  
  
"Nope, it's tomorrow. Angela and Fareeha are coming, too."  
  
"Aww, I wanted to show grandpa my new KDA record on Starcraft II."  
  
"I have no idea what you just said in the second half of your sentence, but why don't you go wash your hands and get the drinks set up?"

* * *

“Ugh, is there nothing new to—oh! My favorite remixer just posted… an ice skating video?” While practicing her stretches against the side of the ice skating rink, 15-year-old Sombra scrolled through her twitter feed on her phone with one hand. “ _¿_ _Qu_ _é_ _es esto?_ ”

Curious, Sombra clicked the video link: _**My Dad Skates Gabriel's FS Program feat. DB Remix by L**_ _ **úci-Ohs!**_

Her mouth twisted into a frown when she realized that the man was the same one she'd found crying in the restroom a year earlier, but then her mouth dropped when he nailed the first quad _perfectly_.

And then the second. And the third. And the fourth quad, along with the triple toe loop – Gabe's signature move!

The last she'd seen him, he could barely even _balance_ on the ice!

And he was the **father** of her favorite musician?!

“JESSE!”

“Holler louder, why don'tcha?” 17-years-old Jesse McCree, with his training pistol snug in the holster at his hip, ambled into the ice rink with two wrapped Big Macs in his hands. His stupid hat was perched on his head, as usual. “Here, I gotchu some lunch.”

“ _Gracias, idiota._ You have to watch this!”

“What, right now?” Jesse unwrapped his burger and started eating while squinting at the video Sombra played on her smartphone screen. His eyebrows shot up and he stopped chewing when the man in the video nailed the first quad.

When the video ended, Jesse whistled, low and approving. “Mighty fine copy of Gabe's, I'd say.”

“What is a copy of Gabriel's?”

Sombra and Jesse looked up from their huddled position by the rink as Amélie Lacroix, Sombra's ballet instructor, sauntered over with a disapproving look on her face. The two teens looked appropriately guilty, as there was no point in hiding the two burgers from the woman's sharp eyes.

“The crybaby who came in last place at the Marseille Grand Prix skated Gabe's _Death Blossom._ ” Sombra edged closer to Jesse, hoping to slip her burger back into his hands since he had quickly taken off his cowboy hat in the presence of the intimidating ballet instructor.

“Hmm? I wish to see.” Amélie extended a graceful hand.

Sombra handed over her phone.

Amélie watched the video intensely, her eyes searching for any and every possible minute mistake to be found within the man's form… and found _none_. Her mouth twitched subtly, but her expression did not change when she handed the phone back.

“Interesting. Have you shown Gabriel yet?”

“He hasn't come in yet.”

“Ah.”

At that moment, the door to the ice skating rink opened, revealing the said man wearing a pair of sunglasses. “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Gabriel, come here. Your protégé has something to show you.”

“Huh?” The man staggered over, looking as if he'd just finished getting through the worst of his hangover. Gabriel pushed his sunglasses up into the curls of his hair, revealing bloodshot eyes. “Show me what, Som.”

Without saying a word, Sombra handed over her phone. The man pressed play and squinted at the screen.

Throughout the entire four minutes of the video, Sombra watched Gabriel's face go through approximately four rare emotions: curiosity, surprise, shock, and a nameless expression that was so painfully soft that she'd never seen on his face before, _ever_.

When the video ended, the man was completely silent for a long moment, his eyes unwavering from the screen of the phone.

"Amélie."  
  
The professional ballet trainer looked over, her face impassive. " _Oui?_ "  
  
"I've decided to defer this year's competition."  
  
"Hmph." Amelie stared at him, unflinching in her intensity, before nodding curtly. "I see. Do as you wish, Reyes, but you will not be able to return here as you are now."  
  
"Now, hold on—” Jesse's mouth dropped open at Gabe's casual declaration of deferring from the Grand Prix. His hat dropped to the floor, too.  
  
Sombra reached out her hand, incredulous. "Gabe, what are you--"  
  
Ignoring the two confused teens, Gabe broke out into a sprint back through the doors of the ice skating rink.  
  
"Come, you two." With a gesture of her hand, the woman indicated them to get moving. "Practice has not yet ended. Jesse, your riding trainer has been wondering where you had gone. Sombra, your skates."  
  
Sombra stared uncomprehendingly at the doors that were still swinging from the force of Gabriel's departure, and the beginnings of raw and strange anger simmered at the pit of her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fixed a ton of typos and whoopsies in previous chapters because apparently I cannot English while also cramming for a final.

The corn fields making up rural Indiana blurred past the window of the train, turning an otherwise ordinary midwest sight into a sea of soft, dreamy gold peppered by the occasional streak of bold colors from the distant farmhouses that blended into the clear blue skies.

Gabriel Reyes was the sole passenger in first class coach compartment he'd paid a pittance of money for. His booted feet were propped up and crossed on the empty seat in front of him and an attendant had left a tray of snacks and bottles of water by the small table to his side that he took hardly any interest in. All in all, he gave off the stern impression of importance and a need for absolutely no disturbances at all.

In reality, his nerves had readily shot straight down into his guts, and what he really craved was an ice cold beer to hold in his sweaty hands, to keep them from shaking.

Gabriel sat up straight when the train turned slightly, barreling closer and closer towards the edge of a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. Another jolt as the train turned around a bend, and finally the town's pride and joy appeared – the _Overwatch_ ice skating stadium, otherwise known as the headquarters of the formerly world-renowned ice skating training camp that had churned out dozens of famous small-town American ice skaters back in its prime.

Now? The old ice skating rink was the only remnant left from those old glory days, lovingly maintained by the locals and their last competition-level skater, who had retreated so far back from media attention that people thought he'd retired from the sport entirely or, worse, _died_.

Until _that_ video popped up on the famous but faceless **Lúci-Oh** 's twitter feed, and started a chain reaction that no one would have anticipated.

Gabriel pulled out his phone and loaded the video up, again.

After witnessing the heart-breaking failure that last year, watching Jack gliding across the ice, every single step as sure and as confident as the warm smile on his face, was like breathing in a lungful of cool, crisp air after years of total suffocation.

Gabriel's thumb touched the screen, pausing the video just so the still frame of Jack in mid-spin filled the screen of his smartphone. The title of the video scrolled across the bottom again.

_My Dad Skates Gabriel's FS Program feat. DB Remix by Lúci-Oh!_

At his age, Jack was a father? Was he married? How many kids did he have? How old were they?

Why didn't he tell him any of this?

With a sigh, Gabriel's head thumped back against the headrest. The town of Bloomington inched closer and closer with each passing minute. He ran his fingers through the curls of his impeccably-styled hair, closing his eyes.

“We were close once… what happened to us, Jack?”

* * *

 

[ _12 YEARS EARLIER…_ ]

 

Bloomington, Indiana was _nothing_ like Los Angeles.

Gabriel Reyes, 14-years-old and already at the top of his Junior division in his home town, was so very alone in this strange hick-filled town in the middle of grand old midwest U.S.A. All he'd brought with him was a duffel bag filled with as many of his clothes he could take, a backpack full of electronics and novels, and another duffel bag containing his skating equipment.

“Ah, it looks like we have some greeters. Come, Gabriel.” At his coach's – Gérard Lacroix, three-time gold medal champion – insistence, the teen followed him out of the cramped train compartment and into a station packed with new smells, new people, and _way_ too many farm animals.

“Reinhardt! It is so good to see you again! Where iz your beautiful wife?”

“Hard at work at the stadium, like yours! Hahah!” The grey-haired man laughed boisterously and dragged his coach up for a big hug as if the man weighed _nothing_. “Thank you for coming here, old friend!”

“Nonsense! This joint program was a wonderful idea! Did Ana come up with it?”

“She did! How did you know?”

As the adults chatted excitedly, uncaring that they were blocking an entire exit for one of the train compartments, Gabriel finally noticed _him_.

Pale, lanky limbs dotted with hardly-there freckles and signs of old sunburns. His hair was so golden that it looked like silk spun straight out from the sun, cropped short but combed haphazardly back to reveal blue eyes – they were so blue, like the waves crashing against the beachfront back home, and—

 _Dios m_ _í_ _o,_ the voice in the back of his mind whispered. _He is so beautiful_.

“And this is the protégé of Blackwatch Company! Gabriel Reyes, iz it?” At the mention of his name, Gabriel looked up…

...and had to crane his neck back even further just to be able to see the giant man's face.

“Uh, yes. Sir.”

“Ach, I am not one for formalities! Just call me Reinhardt! Welcome to Bloomington!” The giant man turned around and planted a huge hand on the other teen's shoulder, beaming with pride. “This is our pride and joy of Overwatch, Jack Morrison!”

The other teen waved awkwardly, somehow still unused to the attention. “It's a pleasure to be working with you, and I hope you enjoy your time here.”

“S-same.” Gabriel fought back the flush that he could feel was starting to burn at his neck and ears.

“Reinhardt, are you going to take us to where we will be boarding?”

“Ah, yes! We will help you deposit your belongings before attending the welcome dinner!”

“ _Merci_ , old friend. Say, speaking of old friends – how is Torbjörn? Last I heard from him, he was having his third child.”

* * *

Gabriel startled awake when the intercom in the train's compartment clicked on and announced that Bloomington station was only ten minutes away. The man pressed his hand against his eyes, hoping that a migraine wouldn't show up any time soon.

That memory…

Following that day, they only had a few precious years together to learn the ins and outs of each other's strengths and weaknesses. They were supposed to be the next prodigal generation of pair skaters, breaking limits and surpassing old barriers together...

...until Blackwatch Company had closed down after the discovery of that a good portion of the trainers had been slipping performance-enhancing drugs into the food and drinks of their adult skaters. Without Blackwatch Company's support and the aftereffects of its damaged reputation hovering uncertainly in the air, its sister training site – Overwatch – had suffered too. Not too long after the news broke, many of the staff at Overwatch had jumped ship, leaving skaters and trainees alike drifting in the wind.

Reinhardt Wilhelm and Ana Amari were just a few out of a handful that had stayed to try and relocate the remaining skaters, but eventually everyone just left, either from falling out from the sport or finding better opportunities elsewhere.

Except for one Jack Morrison, that stubborn son of a gun.

The train rumbled to a quiet stop, and Gabriel got to his feet. Stretching out his limbs, the man gathered up his luggage and his bicycle. He strolled out into Bloomington's fresh air and unending sunshine and a cool breeze ruffled through his hair. Gabriel gave the Overwatch ice skating station in the distance a fond look before turning to the main road.

Gabriel got on his bicycle and started pedaling fast, thanks to the lack of car traffic and the narrow dirt roads that led further into the town. “I hope Jack still lives over on that farm, or I'm gonna regret not bringing my other bike...”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So obviously by this point this fic isn't really gonna be an episode-by-episode copy of Yuri!!! on Ice. I hope that's fine.
> 
> Also a lot of relationships referenced/implied.

“ _¿Qué?!_ Why the _hell_ is Gabe in Indiana?!”

“Hmm. Your form is not proper. Again!”

From where she was skating spirals around the rink, Sombra outstretched one of her hands behind to grab at her ankle. Her face was ruddy from exertion, although her seething anger was clearly visible.

“Where has your control gone, Sombra?” Amélie Lacroix crossed her arms, her thin lips curling into a frown as she watched the young teenager execute a textbook-perfect triple toe loop. “Clearly you cannot skate with all of that drama running in your foolish head. Take a short break. I expect you to be in top form when I return in fifteen minutes.”

Sombra stuck her tongue out at her ballet instructor's back as the woman left the rink. She skated out of the rink and shuffled over to the bench that held her stuff. She checked her twitter feed.

The first thing that loaded on her screen was a tweet from a major figure skating news station:

**After announcing deferral from men's singles GP, G. Reyes spotted in Bloomington, Indiana for reasons unknown!**

“Gabe, you were supposed to make a program for _**my**_ senior debut!” Sombra's hand clenched around the case of her phone. “Did you forget already, _viejo estúpido!_ ”

Her fingers quickly scrolled down the feed. With all of the major news outlets tweeting practically the same thing, there was no doubt that it was all true. A quick google revealed that the piece of ass that Gabe had run off for had his home rink at… Bloomington, Indiana.

Sombra's scowl deepened as she texted Jesse.

 

**[boop]:**

You need to get me to Bloomington, Indiana right now.

 

**[HighNoot]:**

???

 

**[boop]:**

Now!

 

**[HighNoot]:**

Sorry som, but im on a date w/ Hanzo atm gtg :P

 

“Stupid cowboy! Ugh!” Sombra dropped her phone in her lap, pressed her hands onto her face, and muffled her frustrated scream. After a moment, she straightened up and started untying the laces on her skates, the severe look in her eyes burning like hot coals.

“I'll get Gabe to make good on his promise, even if I have to take a stupid train all the way to Bloomington myself!”

* * *

“Oi, dad… there's this drongo at the door. Says he knows you from the rinky-dink.”

“Language, Jamie! I'll be out in a moment.” Jack gave the fixed pipe one last cursory check before painstakingly crawling out of the tiny space underneath the kitchen sink. He wiped up a few small puddles of water that had leaked on the floor with a ragged dishtowel and then finally got up, wincing as his knees and back protested at the sudden movement.

“Mako! Are the sparklers ready yet?!” The sounds of his 12-year-old son step-clomping away towards the backyard had Jack pasting on a polite smile, just in case they'd just invited a serial killer, or worse the media, into the house.

“Sorry for the wait, I was just fixing the sink. Jamie said y—” Whatever Jack was going to say next was promptly lost.

Gabriel Reyes, in all of his bedraggled, hoodie-wearing glory, was standing in the foyer of his house. He looked as if someone had just suddenly punched him in the face, several times.

“Gabe?”

The man's shocked gaze leading towards the backyard finally dragged over to Jack.

“Jack… what happened to him?”

“I'd like you to leave. Now.” Jack's expression changed into something unreadable and cold. He stepped in front of Gabriel, putting himself as barrier to the rest of the house.

Those _blue_ eyes… they were just as vibrant as the last time he'd seen them. Streaks of silver-gray hairs were beginning to mix in his blond hair, which was adorably messy without all of the gel. He had tanned slightly, just enough to give him a livelier look.

Gabriel stepped back. “I'm sorry. That wasn't what...”

“Door is that way.” Jack looked over his shoulder and then back at Gabriel. He gestured at the doorway he was standing in front of.

“I saw your video. You… you were _perfect_.”

“I knew I should have told Hana to not record it, for all of the attention it's bringing home...” Jack sighed and his hand went up to press against his eyes. No doubt a headache was forming right now.

“Hana?” Gabriel's hand tightened on the grip of his duffel bag. “Your wife?”

Jack looked up sharply, and then burst into an incredulous laugh. “NO! I mean, no. She's my daughter.”

“You're not married?” A pitiful glimmer of hope stirred in Gabriel's chest.

“Being a single dad is hard, but I wouldn't give it up for anything.”

“Me neither.”

Jack's eyes widened. “You have kids too?”

Gabriel's smile was sheepish as he shrugged a shoulder. Damn his mouth running way ahead of his brain. “Sort of. Jesse's technically my nephew, Sombra's my trainee. They live with me, though, since their parents… well.”

“Oh.” Jack scratched nervously at the back of his neck. “Well… right. What are you here for, again? Come to tell me to stop stealing your winning programs?”

Gabriel straightened his shoulders. _Here goes nothing._ “I'm here to make you win gold at the Grand Prix this year by being your coach.”

“No.”

Gabriel blinked. “No?”

“I've got kids, Gabe.” Jack's look was resigned, but not particularly sad. “Do you know how much I've missed already?”

Gabriel didn't have a response to that.

“Sorry for having you come all this way for nothing, Gabe.” Jack's voice was quiet as he glanced at the bags the other man was holding in a death grip.

A flash of his infamous anger flicked in Gabriel's dark eyes. “That's it? You're giving up?”

“I'm not giving up. I'm taking responsibility.” Jack met Gabriel's gaze evenly. He knew how easily the other skater clung to anger when things didn't go his way, but there was no way in hell that it was going to fly in _his_ house.

“Fine. I won't force you to compete.” Gabriel exhaled slowly, as if hating the way the words tasted in his mouth.

Jack blinked. That was it? Where was the screaming? The flailing? The dramatic monologues? Was this man really Gabriel Reyes, or some kind of secret clone that he'd never heard about?

“But, I won't leave unless you do one last skate with me. Tonight, at Overwatch. If I can't convince you to come back with after that, I'll go.”

Jack searched Gabriel's face, looking for answers to questions he wouldn't dare ask.

“Alright, Gabe. Tonight, after the kids have gone to bed. Just… leave your things in my room, I guess. Oh, and you might as well help with lunch. Lúcio picked enchiladas for today, but I'm still not that great with making the tortillas come out right.”

When Jack turned around to give the man a tour of the house, he missed the preciously soft smile that graced Gabriel's face.

(Even when Jack pronounced “tortillas” as “tor-till-las.”)

* * *

The last train ride heading into Bloomington, Indiana, finally rumbled to a stop at the station just as night was starting to fall over the quiet rural town.

While setting up google maps to direct her to the ice skating stadium in the distance, Sombra's phone buzzed with a message from Jesse.

 

**[HighNoot]:**

Date was gr8 & almost got a kiss but then genji

 

**[boop]:**

2 bad

 

**[HighNoot]:**

Showed up with his bf as we were leavin

So apprently han didn't know that zen was genji's bf

Then we ran into lena and emily who were also on a date

 

**[boop]:**

Y are u telling me all of this

 

**[HighNoot]:**

U need to chill lol

& leave Gabe's business alone, nothing good

Comes out of messin around in it ← my exp

 

Sombra snorted and then began her long walk, wheeling her luggage bag behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A must-listen to for this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKCTu9jjz_w
> 
> So pretty much all my ideas for this AU came from me imagining this one scene (and then I realized I couldn't just write this only scene without giving some context, so yay more chapters).

“Last year, before my free skate… I’d gotten a call from Angela.”

Jack’s unfocused eyes gazed over the expanse of freshly-smoothed ice. His fingers absently toyed at the zipper to his old jacket – the one with the garish red _76_ on the back. The intense white lighting from the industrial lamps above made him look sickly pale even with the flush of red scrawled across his nose and cheeks. 

Gabriel stopped fiddling with the audio controls to the speakers and looked over at the other man.

“Jamie got into an accident. He fell down a ravine, and from how hurt he’d gotten, she had to amputate his arm and leg. Torbjörn made him prosthetics, said something about how kids adapt fast, and he got back up on his feet so quickly that I…”

Jacks scrubbed at hand at his face, breathing harshly. “If I was there, maybe… I don’t know. Hana and Lúcio… they don’t blame me, but I just…”

With his lips pressed into a thin line, Gabriel turned back to the audio controls. A scalding burn of guilt curled up in his guts.

Jack sucked in a shuddering breath and then laughed shakily. “Look at me, all you want to do is skate and I’m just a mess.”

“It’s alright, _cari_ _ñ_ _o_. You have nothing to apologize for.” Gabriel shut the panel closed and clomped over to Jack’s hunched figure on the bench. He held out his hand.

Jack let out a heavy sigh, but took the hand. Surprisingly, Gabriel was still very warm even though he’d taken off his hoodie – revealing a short-sleeved t-shirt with some kind of skull design on the front – and the temperature inside the rink was below freezing.

When they finally set foot on the ice, the soft but familiar strains of violins and a piano had Jack looking over at Gabriel in surprise. “Isn’t this—are… are you sure? I haven’t skated to this in… a long time. I don’t even know if I still remember the steps.”

“ _S_ _í_.” With a wink, Gabriel placed his hands on Jack’s shoulder and waist. Then, he leaned in close enough to whisper in his ear. “Just keep your arms around me, and we’ll be fine.”

* * *

 

[ _10 YEARS EARLER…_ ]

 

“Oof!” Crashing down onto the ice from a failed spin, Jack slid a few meters away from his partner. “Ugh…”

“I told you, just keep your arms around me and you’ll be fine!” Gabriel quickly skated over to roughly haul the other boy up, his eyes dark with barely-restrained anger.

“If I did, I would’ve hit you with my skate! Your turns are way too fast!” Jack sniffed and ran the back of his hand over his nose, grimacing when he could feel where a bruise was probably going to form.

“Augh!” Gabriel’s hands went up to grip at the beanie that hid most of his curls. “How is it that you’ve been skating with me for _how long_ and you _still_ can’t match my speed?!”

“BOYS!”

The two teens froze and turned around at the bellow that Ana Amari, their coach for the day, aimed at them. Although the woman was standing at the ice skating rink’s entrance several meters away, both of them could feel the utter disapproval radiating out of her.

“I EXPECT YOU TWO TO GET THAT SPIN RIGHT BY TOMORROW MORNING, OR I’LL HAVE REINHARDT UP YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING!”

Immediately, Gabriel and Jack straightened and snapped matching salutes. “Yes ma’am!”

Once the doors to the skating rink swung closed from Ana’s departure, both teenagers released breaths they didn’t even know they were holding. Gabriel eyed Jack’s subtly shame-twisted face and sighed. He held out his hand.

“Come on, let’s try it again. This time, you lead.”

Uncertain, Jack gaped at the other teen. “Me? Lead? But—”

“You’re having trouble with the speed, right?” Gabriel grabbed Jack’s hands and forced them into the proper positions at his waist and shoulder. “I’ll go at your pace, then.”

“I… okay.” Jack straightened his spine and began the first steps, but his hands released from their grips to hover uncertainly.

“Stop fucking around and **_hold onto me_**.” Gabriel growled as he did a textbook-perfect spin in time to Jack’s.

Jack’s hands came back. The flush on his face was not only just from exertion and the chill.

They glided across the together, arms and hands gripping each other with purpose as they finally executed a perfect side by side camel spin without running into each other.

When they slid back together, hands clutched tight between them and ready for the next movement, Jack’s breathless grin was positively radiant from excitement. “We finally did it!”

Gabriel’s wide smile was equally breathtaking. “We did.”

* * *

The ending notes of the beautiful melody echoed through the almost-empty skating rink as Gabriel and Jack slid to a masterful finish in the center of the rink, their bodies pressed tightly against each other, breathing heavily. Their faces were less than a centimeter away from each other.

“God, Gabe…” Jack’s eyes were sparkling and so _alive_.

Impulsively, Gabriel dove in to close the gap with a kiss. He was rewarded with a quiet gasp, and then the arms around his shoulders tightened to bring them as close as possible. Fingers carded through the curls of his short-cropped hair, gentle and fond.

“ ** _USTED ES LA PEOR MAESTRO DEL MUNDO!!!_** ”

Surprised by the shout, Jack broke their kiss and tried to put some distance between them, but the other man tightened his grip around his waist and simply turned his head to squint at the source of the profanity screamed in his direction.

Ah, his purple-clad protégé.

“ _Estoy ocupado, mija!_ ”

“ ** _Hijo de puta!_** Your promised to make me a program for my senior debut, but I find you sucking face with that _perdedor!?!_ ”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope the pace doesn't feel so rushed... one more chapter left.

“Here ya go, darlin’.” With a lopsided grin, Jesse smoothly draped his serape over the other teen’s shoulders. “Nice an’ cozy, ain’t it?”

“…Thank you, Jesse.” The flush scrawled on Hanzo’s cheeks and nose deepened as he tucked his chin into the soft and woolly fabric.

In front of them, Genji – the preteen’s hair dyed a garish green that somehow matched his white and orange tracksuit – skated a quick loop around another boy wobbling precariously on his skates. After a moment, Genji reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling the poor boy along with an excited laugh.

“C’mon, Zenny! You can’t just stand there the whole time!”

“W-wait! Genji! You’re going _too fast_ —!”

Hanzo stifled an inappropriate snort when the Nepalese boy fell flat on his face, their conjoined hands making Genji trip over his own skates as well. Both of them slid along the ice like a pair of sad goldfishes, flailing and giggling.

“Oh!” An incredibly muscular, pink-haired lady hauled the boys up back onto their feet with very little effort. “Be careful, _ребяти́шки_.”

“ _Sumimasen_ , Zaryanova-san!”

“Sorry, Zarya!”

“Ah, you are so strong, Zarya!” Skating over, Mei clapped her hands and giggled in awe at her girlfriend.

“ _Da!_ ” Zarya struck a pose that highlighted her muscles, grinning widely.

Jesse turned away from admiring the way Hanzo’s normally-sour expression completely lightened in the presence of his younger brother’s silly antics when the doors to the ice skating stadium in Hanamura opened to admit Gérard and Amélie Lacroix.

The dark looks on both of the coaches’ faces had Jesse swallowing nervously when they headed in his direction.

“Jesse, where is Sombra? She has not come to practice in over a week, and does not take my calls.” Gérard glanced over at his frosty wife, who simply swept past all of them to set down her gear on an empty bench and started to put on her skates.

“She’s, uh… with Gabe. Som didn’t tell you?”

Gérard ran both of his hands over his face and sighed deeply. “Where have all my skaters gone to? I hope this is not a joke… the Grand Prix is only eight months away, for God’s sake!”

“With Gabe helpin’ her, I’m sure she’s practicin’ hard.” Jesse laughed nervously and scratched at the bit of hair at his chin that could be called a goatee if one squinted hard enough.

“Wait.” Gérard suddenly straightened and looked at his wristwatch. “Aren’t you two supposed to be at the shooting range? And why did I find your instructor crying in the bathroom?!”

”I’m not much for standin’ around.” Jesse tipped his hat down with a finger.

“What the fool means is that we no longer require the services of an instructor.” Hanzo arched an eyebrow at his boyfriend, who winked and finger-gunned him.

Gérard Lacroix raised a finger up, took a long look at the motley collection of athletic prodigies in front of him, and then slowly put it down. He shook his head and then turned to leave the rink, muttering underneath his breath.

* * *

Sombra skated to a stop, her legs poised straight up in an imposing split. Her chest was heaving from exhaustion and beads of hard-won sweat trailed down her neck.

She did it.

She skated her short program, _Opportunist_ , for the Grand Prix without a single hitch.

“ _Incre_ _í_ _ble_ , Sombra!” Gabriel yelled from the side of the rink. Next to him, Jack clapped furiously with a huge smile on his face.

Sombra skated over to the entrance to the rink, shaking from the delayed excitement coursing through her veins. Her fingers scrabbled at the cap of an unopened water bottle.

“Here, I got it.” Jack took the bottle and opened it with one twist.

“ _Gracias, guero._ ” Sombra downed the bottle in two gulps and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her sweater.

A heavy metal rock song blared from Gabriel’s pocket. The man pulled out his smartphone and scowled at the name flashing on the screen. “What does the bank want now… I will be right back, _cariño_.”

The man pecked an affectionate kiss at the corner of Jack’s mouth and then accepted the call, listening intently at the accented shouting while heading for the exit. At Sombra’s scandalized face, Jack chuckled.

“I know, it’s kinda weird seeing him so ni—”

“It’s not that.” Sombra’s eyes narrowed as she gave Jack a calculating look. “He’s basically _mi pap_ _á_.”

“Oh.” Jack scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, suddenly hyperaware of the fact that he and Sombra were alone for once, without Gabriel acting as a buffer between them.

“I don’t know what he sees in you, _guero_.” Sombra’s gaze turned piercing. “But, you make him stupidly happy, so… I guess you’re alright.”

Jack blinked. Before he could say anything, however, the teen continued.

“I don’t care how many kids you have frolicking on your corn farm. Just don’t go doing anything stupid, got it?”

The guarded look in Jack’s eyes softened, and he reached out to put a hand on Sombra’s shoulder. “You’re quite something, you know that?”

Sombra huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, but didn’t shrug his hand off. “Tch. Stop looking so happy, _guero_.”

Jack’s grip tightened, and then Sombra found herself crushed face-first into a pair of muscled pecs.

“ _Mija_ , why did I just get a call from my bank about someone using my credit card—” Gabriel cut off in the middle of his sentence when he saw the glorious sight of Jack hugging Sombra to his chest with an impossibly huge grin on his face. The teenager was screeching and trying get out of the tight hold, but clearly failing.

“ _Dios m_ _í_ _o!_ ” Gabriel dropped his phone and laughed freely, his hands going down to clutch at his knees.

The doors behind Gabriel swung open again, letting a group of rowdy children accompanied by a smirking Ana Amari.

“Hey, dad! Where’s my hug?” With his ice skates swinging from where they were tied to his frog-shaped backpack, Lúcio skidded to a stop by his adoptive father, smiling brightly.

“C’mere!” Jack promptly dropped Sombra onto the ground and swooped up the ten year old. “You feel like skating today, Lúcio?”

“Yeah! Hana’s playing _Heroes of the Storm_ with grandpa again! _Boring!_ Oh, I brought a new song too – want to try and skate to it?”

Sombra gaped like a dying fish and pointed at the kid clinging to Jack. “ ** _He’s_** Lúci-oh?!”

The boy turned to Sombra and grinned. “You’ve heard of me?”

“ _Heard_ of you? I have all of your remixes on my phone right now! Oh _dios_ _m_ _í_ _o,_ can you sign my skates?!”

“Sure! You got a marker?”

“Oi dad! Me and Mako are gonna do some rounds on the Bastion!” Jamie whooped and rushed off, his older friend following leisurely behind with the key ring swinging in one hand and his asthma inhaler in the other.

“Jamie! Remember what Uncle Torb and Mr. Winston said about your arm!” Jack called out to the boy after setting down Lúcio.

“Yeah, yeah! Take it easy so the gears don’t break again!”

With a grunt, Mako nudged the his friend over so that he could sit in the driver’s seat. With a pout, Jamie took other seat. The aging zamboni rumbled to life not a moment later, beeping and chirping with every button on its control panel that Jamie mashed indiscriminately.

“Gabriel.” Ana Amari inclined her head at the skater. “It’s been a while. Congratulations on your most recent gold medal.”

“Thank you, Ana.” Wiping at the corners of his eyes, Gabriel straightened and nodded back respectfully. “How… how’s your daughter doing? Last I’d talked to her, she’d just landed her security job at the hospital.”

“Oh, Fareeha? She has steady girlfriend now – Angela, she’s such a dear, and a doctor! I am hoping that they settle down soon, I don’t know how much longer I will have to wait for more grandkids!”

“Ana, you already have thr—”

“One can never have too many grandchildren, Jack.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone, for reading and leaving nice kudos and comments! It's been a joy to write this.

[ 8 Months Later ]

 

“Last, but not least, we have Mexico's favorite darling, Sombra! Here she will be performing her first senior debut, _Opportunist,_ as her free skate – choreographed by four-time gold medalist _and_ her personal trainer, Gabriel Reyes!” Doomfist, The overly-excited announcer, fangirled into his microphone as the teenager skated her way into the center of the rink.

Having swapped her usual purple and black color scheme for a vibrant blue, teal, white, and black combination, she no longer seemed like a tempestuous teenager but a winner confident in her success. She blew a mischievous kiss to the motley collection of skaters at the side of the rink, aimed directly at an Indian girl, another prodigal teen skater like herself, staring intensely at her form.

The kiss went straight over the other girl's head, sadly.

With little time to think of anything else, the music began and Sombra started her program with her head held high.

* * *

“She's growing up so fast…”

“Are… are you crying, Gabriel?”

“N-no! What made you think that?!”

“You can't hide anything from me. Jack! Your husband's being a sap and needs a hug!”

From all the way over to where Mei and Zarya were whispering to each other affectionately (which was also next to where Jesse and Hanzo were sitting, making out with silver and gold medals hanging around their necks, respectively) Jack turned around and chuckled at the sight of Gabriel and Ana mock-fighting. He headed on over to them and grabbed Gabriel's hand, squeezing reassuringly.

“AND SHE DOES A QUADRUPLE LUTZ AND NAILS IT! WOOO!”

Sombra landed, poised beautifully after a difficult Biellmann spin, waited out the thunderous cheering of the crowd before taking a bow. She caught a bundle of roses that had been chucked onto the ice.

“YES!” Gabriel's arms shot up, almost nailing Jack in the face with his fist. “MY BABY WINS GOLD! I JUST KNOW IT!”

“GO SOMBRA!” Jack joined in with the cheering, his smile genuinely and unashamedly proud.

Ana's hand went over to cover her mouth as she laughed.

Sombra skated over to the two men with a grin. “You two are so _embarrassing_ , ugh.”

“You haven't seen nothing yet, you scoundrel.” Gabriel dragged the teenager in for a hug, and then scrubbed at her carefully-done hair with his hand, messing up her hair. “C'mon, to the score box!”

Five minutes later, as they all waited with baited breath, the announcer finally gave out the scores:

Sombra's hands went over to cover her mouth as she jumped up and down, every inch of her vibrating with the excitement of being the young teenager she was.

Her first gold!

At the podium, standing next to the silver medalist – Satya Vaswani – and the bronze medalist – Mei-Ling Zhou – and smiling so hard at the cheering crowds that her mouth hurt, Sombra almost missed the praise that the Indian girl aimed at her.

“A performance worthy of repetition.”

Sombra turned to her, and winked. “You have good taste.”

* * *

“And now, the men's singles four-time gold medalist, U.S.A's Gabriel Reyes. He will be performing an exhibition of a never-before-seen free skate program, with a special guest: “Serenade for Two.” He's just announced his comeback – but as a pair skater.”

At the start of the music, Gabriel Reyes breathed out and began to skate. The coattails of his outfit – a dark blue accented by white trimming the hue of ice – flared dramatically outwards as he spiraled and landed a quadruple loop.

He reached out his hand, and Jack Morrison – dressed in a similar outfit but instead in shades of deep maroon and black – slid right into his hold as if he'd never left.


End file.
